Summer Whirlwind Burning You Out

Have you entered August and are feeling exhausted by the Carousel Ride of summer?

Straight up….Summer is the funnest season! Days are long, weather is hot, and there is lots of great BBQ’s and hangouts with all our favourite people. It really is the party season with long nights and exhilarating days 🏖..

The problem is that after a month, you are probably feeling a little exhausted, yet your still trying to hold on to the summer vibe as longs as you can before fall hits.

I am 40 years old and this is still my pattern each year…play hard and push until I am forced to stop. I really blame it on the long winters that have me craving for this time to break free. And every year like clock work, by mid-August I am silently dreaming of September to arrive and routine to return.

If we put this in the context of our menstrual cycle this is the same thing we are doing during ovulation. Ovulation is our inner summer. The time that our hormones have peaked, we are feeling charismatic and outward with our energy, and we are probably saying yes to everything because we are feeling on top of our game.

But then, BOOM, 2 or 3 days later we start to crash. We feel exhausted. We have a crap load of stuff we said yes to that we have to get done. We are stressed. We are feeling overwhelmed. We are exhausted because we pulled a few late nights the days before (or maybe just experienced insomnia because our body was vibrating at a different level). And now we find ourselves wanting to be left alone, grouchy, and probably labeling ourselves as PMSing.

Here’s the thing, our menstruation really pulled us into a mini hibernation and forced us to slow down, which is why as soon as our hormones started rising we started feeling better, and why when our hormones peaked we went to the metaphorical fair and rode the carousel too many times. 

It’s hard to pull ourselves in when we are in the inner summer, just like it is hard not to stay up to late, eat bad food, and push our body into overdrive when we are in our environmental summer. It’s fun!

Here’s the thing…we do not need to say no to this pulsating urge to be outward, but we do need to understand the potential crash that can come if we don’t lay down a few summer rules. 

Here’s a few simple ways to navigate your inner summer to avoid burnout:

1. Say yes only if you can complete the tasks within the window of ovulation. If it is going to go beyond a week, it may have to be a ‘no’ because you just won’t have the energy for it and it will affect your period

2. Maintain good sleep routine. Know that your hormones are going to make you want to stay up in front of your computer working late or binging Netflix until midnight, so keep to an electronic shut down time and do something extra special to help make you sleepy.

3. Have fun during your inner summer but don’t forget to connect to you. Do something that is nourishing and fun that you enjoy because it will help you spark the passion in life and help tame the inner critic that will be coming to visit in fall.

4. And if you are trying to get pregnant, remember if we nourish the passion and joy in our inner summer, it will be easier to stay hopeful in the inner fall. This time is not just about making a baby, but about having fun and creating a deeper connection with your partner in joyous and playful way.

Now for me it’s off to a warm bath and early bedtime. I need to replenish my batteries so I can enjoy the last few weeks of my actual summer season.